Animals, like humans, are susceptible to a wide range of illnesses and injuries. These illnesses and injuries often requiring medicinal treatment, for the purpose of inducing curative effects or alleviating symptoms.
If a veterinarian wishes to dispense a medication to an animal, such as a pet, the veterinarian may be required to introduce the treatment to the animal orally, in the form of either a medicated tablet or liquid. However, the medication often has characteristics such as a foul odor or taste that make it unappealing to the animal. In such cases, it is typical for the veterinarian to resort to direct administration or trickery to medicate the animal.
Where the direct administration technique is employed, the veterinarian is required to physically seize the animal while attempting to place the medication into the animal's mouth. The animal is then restrained until the medication has been swallowed. For a larger animal, the direct administration of medication may result in agitation, causing the animal to bite or become undesirably apprehensive of the veterinarian.
Trickery is also used by the veterinarian. The trickery may involve a concealing of the medication within a substance more desirable to the animal, such as a treat, or by mixing the medication in the animal's usual fare. This approach is often ineffective, because the animal's senses may alert it to undesirable medication. Even when the veterinarian conceals a small pill within an animal's food, the animal is likely to sense the medication and eat around it, or avoid the food altogether.
There is a continuing need for a system and method of dispensing oral medications to animal such as pets. Desirably, the system and method facilitates a compounding and customization of medicated treats for animals by veterinarians.